SEOUL, South Korea – Samsung Electronics Co. will make a special 18-carat gold-plated mobile phone in China to mark next year’s Olympics in Beijing.

The sleek-looking phone, dubbed the P318, is mostly deep black in color, with the gold placed in the trim along the sides and covering the bottom half of its back.

A price or launch date has yet to be set, Samsung spokeswoman Lee Soo-jeong said.

“This is going to be strictly sold and launched to the Chinese market,” she said. “It’s basically a phone to commemorate and celebrate the Beijing Olympics.”

Samsung is the world’s third-largest manufacturer of mobile phones.

The Summer Games take place Aug. 8-24, 2008.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)